Rate My Professor Arthur Kaser

Professor Arthur Kaser FMedSci holds the position of University Chair of Gastroenterology and is Professor of Gastroenterology in the Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge. As an academic gastroenterologist and Honorary Consultant Physician at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, he directs the Gastrointestinal Diseases theme within the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, fostering collaboration between the University and Hospitals to advance patient care through research. Additionally, he is a Principal Investigator at the Cambridge Institute for Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease (CITIID) and serves as the Chair of the Cambridge Immunology Network.

Kaser's laboratory investigates the intricate biology underlying Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, two major forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) triggered by gene-environment interactions. By developing and utilizing complex genetic models alongside cutting-edge techniques like sophisticated liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, his team has uncovered critical mechanisms, including the collusion of autophagy and endoplasmic reticulum stress to induce a pathological unfolded protein response. Landmark publications include "A purine metabolic checkpoint that prevents autoimmunity and autoinflammation" (Cell Metabolism, 2022), "FAMIN is a multifunctional purine enzyme enabling the purine nucleotide cycle" (Cell, 2020), "Epithelial endoplasmic reticulum stress orchestrates a protective IgA response" (Science, 2019), and "Induction therapy with the selective interleukin-23 inhibitor risankizumab in patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease" (Lancet, 2017). These findings demonstrate how genetic dysregulation in enterocytes drives IBD and highlight therapeutic targets. Complementing basic research, Kaser oversees a clinical trials unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital's Clinical Research Facility, conducting studies from early-phase proof-of-concept to pivotal registration trials. His contributions, recognized by election as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2017, have profoundly influenced the field of gastroenterology and IBD research.